It may seem like a simple idea. We hang, chill, meet up, get-together, and gather because we are social beings. We crave interaction.

But in today’s day and age where we are constantly outsourcing our social needs to Instagram and Facebook we have less desire to actually engage. This can, in fact, be dangerous in terms of how we develop social skills. As one study shows, we are starting to loose the ability to hold conversations for longer than five minutes. Not only are our social skills being affected but our overall happiness is sliding.

So how do we pull ourselves out from the hole of confinement? With three steps. Make plans and then actually follow through with them. While you are there, wherever there is: grabbing coffee with a friend, at a dinner party, taking a walk with your partner – be there. Be off your phone, or better yet leave your phone at home.

Being present in the now is one of the most important things to practice while out in the world. Doing so can not only lead to more friends, but a greater sense of peace within your life.